Divide and Decide (DiDe): A Simple Strategy for Managing Groupthink in the Decision Making Process

Groupthink, which occurs when a group of people simply follow an individual’s suggested strategy without expressing any opposing ideas, often influences strategic decisions. This study proposes a “divide-and-decide” (DiDe) strategy designed to minimize the effects of groupthink on the selection of decision alternatives. In a pseudo-random number-based simulation exercise following a multi-criteria decision-making framework, the DiDe strategy was found to reduce the influence of groupthink and reveal a different choice of decision strategy than the groupthink scenario.